


Everdark

by Wit4hire



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Dhampir Eretria, F/F, Human Wil, Vampire Amberle, Violence, but i am ripping it off, but i like it better this way, i know i got the proportions wrong, the mechanics will be whatever is most convenient for storytelling, vampire dhampir human system from vampire academy, you do not need to have read that series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-08 01:58:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7739032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wit4hire/pseuds/Wit4hire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amberle does not think it is worth her time to travel to Eastland to see if the Everdark's twin, Lifefire, is dying as well. She already knows it is. So she abandons the rest of the Chosen to go in search of a witch she sees in a vision. On her way, she runs into a rover. A dhampir rover.</p><p>The vampire AU verse that no one asked for. The first chapter will feel almost like the show, but then we are gonna go off the rails. RoverPrincess all the way. Slow burn. There is plot, but I do not know how long it will last.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When a Princess Meets a Rover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the fandom, me!
> 
> Okay, so, this story is my way of rewriting the story such that the focus is on Amberle and Eretria, while tweaking the setting. I like vampires. And, I always wanted to play with the Vampire / Dhampir dynamic, I did not care to write about the characters from Vampire Academy. So, instead we have this.
> 
> Please enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: So, just a quick note - for those who do not know, a Dhampir (dhampire, dhapmyre, etc) is the product of a vampire and a human mating. I am using the dynamics that are in Vampire Academy, with slight alterations.  
> In my world, vampires are more similar to humans, albeit slightly faster/stronger and with a bit more longevity, but their main difference is their affinity for natural magic. As in Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air type stuff. They need to drink blood. They are born vampires.  
> Dhampirs are the physically superior race. The classic lifting cars and zipping around type stuff. Minus the existence of cars, what with it being the Shannara verse. They have no magic, unless they are also a witch, but that is rarer than... sapphic relations working out. They do not drink blood.  
> For when we eventually touch on this stuff, Strigoi are Vampires or Dhampirs twisted by evil. They are dhampirs squared plus the overpowering desire to kill and other awful stuff. They are the ones that bite and turn you. They can turn humans as well. They are all sorts of scary.  
> Hope that helps!

It is almost laughable the way life is so predictable. For Amberle Elessedil, life had a pattern it followed; namely, any time she managed to accomplish something that no one thought she could or received recognition for her achievements, the world took a turn, flipping things around, crushing her spirit.

The first occasion was when she first managed to use the magic of her bloodline, something even her father could not. She showed him the night he was murdered by shifters. He was the only one she had showed. She could not get the magic to work, to save him. She did not explore magic after that, pretended the gift skipped over her, like it had every member of her family for centuries.

The next time, she had graduated the top of her class. She remembered how she stared out at the crowd gathered, the cheering deafened her, but then the cheers shifted to screams. The horde of darkened vampires, driven by their lust for blood and death, swarmed the masses, hurling their unearthly magic about. Amberle remembered panic and chaos, before the attack was quelled. There were many casualties and the atmosphere of The Palace of Night was grim.

Three years passed and she was finally seeing the night less in her dreams. She was of age and against the wishes of her grandfather, King of the Westlands, she ran the Gauntlet. Not only did she run, she made it into the company of the chosen. She had stood before her grandfather, in front of the Everdark tree, and had sworn to serve the Everdark, as one of its chosen. She had placed her hand upon the tree and the tree had spoken to her, trusting her into a torrent of images, all brutal in nature. She had shaken the images off, chose to bask in her victory.

However, life followed its pattern. The Everdark shed a leaf. And not just one. It became clear the tree was dying and the palace was in an uproar.

So, Amberle found herself seated on horseback, with the company of the other chosen and a handful of knights. They headed for the human realm of Eastland. Their mission was to make an inquiry regarding the health of Lifefire, the twin to Everdark.

Amberle could not ignore the nagging feeling that ate at her. Whispers in her mind. And then a choppy vision, highlighting a man, lying on a stone slab, his body scarred by lines and circles carved into his flesh. A witch. The Everdark showed her a witch.

Amberle did not tell anyone where she was going. Lorin would not have followed her away from the stated mission. She did not trust the rest to respect her input, even as a princess. So she left. She headed southeast, rather than due east. She hoped to reach Paranor, the abandoned fortress said to have once housed the Third Coven.

As day began to break, she thanked her stars that she had reached the forest. The canopy gave decent cover from the sun and the negative affects direct contact would bring. She had experienced sunlight before, outside the reach of the Everdark. Every vampire with proper schooling must spend days outside the cover, learning to survive in the light. She was top of her class.

As morning became afternoon, she knew she needed to camp, to let her horse rest and to hydrate. The tied up Stella, going in search of water. As she walked, she took out her skin, uncorked it and took a long drink. The blood colored her lips but she licked them clean, the bottle corked and replaced on her hip. Water appeared as a small stream and she retraced her steps back to Stella, noting the way she went so that she could lead the mare to drink.

As she came on the site where she had left Stella, she noted a figure searching her saddlebag. “Hey!”

The figured looked up, face shielded by the hood of a cloak. Head cocked, the figure studied her, backing slowly from Stella. Amberle was quick; in one fluid motion, she unsheathed a dagger from her belt and threw it at the shoulder of the thief. It was precisely on target and she breathed a sigh of relief even before it struck, so sure that it would hit. Within that breath, she found her back forced up against a tree, her throwing wrist in the tight grip of the thief.

“Dhampir,” she hissed, as she caught her breath.

“You have decent aim, for a vampire,” the dhampir mocked. It was then that Amberle noticed the hood had fallen back, revealing a girl she imagined to be about her age. She had her hair braided tight along the side of her head, ensuring her face, and particularly her icy blue eyes, were never obscured.

Amberle’s eyes narrowed and her upper lip curled back to reveal her fangs. “Remove your hands from me, Rover.”

“Ah yes,” the woman quipped, her expression unamused, “the classic vampiric manners.” She released Amberle, but did not give any additional space. The two stared each other down, eyes locked.

“What do you want,” Amberle finally asked.

“I have a debt to pay,” the dhampir explained. “I was just going to steal your possessions before you returned, but you came back sooner than I expected. And,” she added light emphasis to the word, “it turns out you are a vampire. Vampire blood sells well to shifters and humans.” Amberle reflexively squirmed under her gaze, receiving a smirk as salt in the wound. “Now, I am not a heartless person, so if you hand over anything worth the price of vampire blood, I will be on my way.”

Amberle begrudgingly looked down at her person, weighing the value of each item she wore against her attachment to the item. Not her father’s sword. Not her mother’s necklace. Not the ringlet on her upper arm that was given to each of the Chosen. She slowly reached up as the rover traced the movement of her hands, until she grasped the crown upon her head. She lifted it and presented it to the thief.

“That crown bares the royal insignia,” the woman noted.

Amberle internalized her ridicule of herself. “You are not the only one capable of pinching something.”

The woman laughed, a short note. “So it would seem. Friendly advice, do not wear your goods, no matter how bad you want to play at princess.” Amberle was relieved of the crown and she sighed at the seemingly smooth transaction.

The woman suddenly looked away, her attention caught by something. She looked peeved, but it was not until moments later that Amberle saw a number of figures emerge from the wood. “Looks like you caught a live one, girlie.”

The woman’s smile was tart as she turned to face the speaker. “Cephalo,” she greeted.

“This is a marvelous find and may be enough to pay all you owe,” the man announced.

“Fantastic,” was the woman’s terse response.

“Come now, Eretria, be happy,” the man demanded.

“I am, Sir,” she intoned. “I was just hoping to walk away with an actual slice of the profits,” she explained.

Cephalo waggled his finger. “I taught you well, but you cannot pull a fast one on me, - on us so easily,” he declared. Eretria hung her head in defeat and Amberle noted the tenseness of her jaw. “Alright everyone,” Cephalo addressed the dozen looming dhampirs, “we head east! We are going to find a human in the market for a vampire!”

A cheer went up and then the dhampirs made quick work of herding Amberle into their caravan, where she was tied to a seat in one of the passenger wagons, one with a canvas roof. Eretria joined her for a moment. “I am sorry,” she said. She looked as if she might say more, but then she left. Amberle was left alone to wonder about her fate. To wonder if she could devise a means of escape. To curse her luck. To mourn her plan to find the witch. Life was predictable – she should have seen it coming.

* * *

Eretria fumed. She should have known Cephalo would be trailing her. She would have been content to make a pretty profit off the woman and continue serving the man for another few months. Now she had some vampire’s blood on her hands, for all intents and purposes.

She told herself that they would have found the girl, had she not. She told herself that it was the girl’s fault for being alone in their territory. She cycled through many reasons why it was not her fault, all of which left a sour taste in her mouth.

Days of travel drained her less than the restless nights she spent reciting the list like a mantra. They were nearing the reach of the Lifefire tree and Eretria could not take it. “Fuck my life,” she cursed. Curses seemed to be the only words other than her mantra that she could speak.

The caravan was camped for the night, fires about, people drinking in excess while morale was high. Eretria slipped unnoticed through camp. She found her way into the wagon where the vampire was slumped forward, her weight straining against the ties that held her. “Come on, Princess, rise and shine.”

A groan and the woman’s head slowly rose. “What do you want?”

“You to wipe that glare from your face; it does no one any good,” Eretria sniped. She stalked forward and knelt before the other woman, who stubborn keep the glare. Eretria rolled her eyes as she leaned over the woman, using a knife to cut the binding.

The vampire sighed as she rolled her shoulders. “Do you expect my thanks?”

Eretria exhaled a sharp, wry laugh. “Not yet.” She rose and offered a hand down to the other woman. It was not accepted. She woman stood on her own, swaying slightly. “Just follow me.”

“Why should I trust you?”

Eretria gave the woman an exasperated look. “Do you have another option you are holding out for?”

“Fine.” They traded fake smiles.

“Where, pray tell, do you think you are going?” Eretria closed her eyes, not needing to see the man’s face to recognize who he was. She took a beat to center her breathing and with the moment she gave herself, pinpointed Cephalo’s position. She whirled on him, eyes meeting his just before she snapped his neck.

She sighed as his body dropped. “You just snapped his neck,” the vampire hissed.

Eretria rolled her eyes. “He will be fine. We, on the other hand, need to go.” She led the way to where the horses were tethered. The vampire greeted her horse before they both led a mount away from earshot.

All in all, it was a smooth exit. They rode for hours, in the night. Well before dawn, Eretria called for the vampire to stop. They both dismounted.

“Here is the deal, Princess,” she began, but was cut off by the vampire.

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

Eretria gave her an incredulous look. “Because I hate playing stupid.” The vampire looked defeated, but said nothing more. “As I was saying, Princess,-“

“Amberle.”

Whatever,” Eretria waved her hand dismissively. “We need to let the horses go.”

“What?! Why,” Amberle asked.

“The trackers will likely follow the horses’ scent, as they are much easier to notice,” Eretria explained. She began packing a few things into a backpack. “We might be able to throw them off a bit by traveling separate the horses and we will need as big a head start as we can get if we plan to get you back to your land.”

“You would escort me back to the Westlands?”

“For a price,” Eretria freely admitted.

“Of course,” Amberle shook her head in disgust.

“I think that is plenty fair. My services, which I would argue you need, need compensation.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not to mention, I just double-crossed a very dangerous group to save your neck.” She chuckled at the irony of her words.

“I am not returning to the Westlands until I have gone to Paranor.”

Eretria stared at her a moment, then decided she did not care to ask. “Then I will escort you there, then to the Westlands. My price goes up, though.”

“Is everything about money to you?”

Eretria cocked her head to one side, squinting at Amberle. “Have you ever been in debt? Do you even know what it means to be in debt?” Amberle pursed her lips. “Now then, do you agree to my terms?”

“Fine.”

“Wonderful, Princess!” Eretria wore an overly sweet smile as she slapped her horse’s rear, sending it off to the north. “Send your horse west. It may find its way home.” Amberle looked displeased as she hesitated in following Eretria’s suggestion.

“Everdark help me,” Amberle prayed under her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! A setting. A quest. A Princess and a Rover. Let me know what you think :D


	2. What is a Party without a Cleric?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Just a fair warning, I changed a lot of details regarding geography to fit my story better. You will recognize some names, but if you were to look at a map from the Shannara canon, nothing will make sense.

Eretria led them south, in the hopes of throwing off pursuit by limiting their predictability. They traveled mostly by night. Dawn signaled their need to find shelter, for Amberle to get out to the light. Eretria noted the way she rationed her blood supply. The woman had only one skin and being in any sort of light meant she was going to become hungry more rapidly. 

When they had made it far enough south, she brought them west, after a maneuver she hoped would convince any followers they were still headed south. Dawn had broken on their third day of travel and Amberle had found a well shaded grove to settle down in. Eretria checked their surroundings and erased their tracks. As she was finishing up, she heard a strange sound in the earth. It sounded like a wild drum beat, approaching her. Then it dawned on her. Horses neared. A lot of horses. Too many to be Cephalo. 

She ran toward the sound. She spotted the first horses through the thinning of the trees. Their riders wore the crest of the human monarchy. “Shit.” She ran, through her exhaustion, back to Amberle. “Wake up, Princess!”

Amberle blinked blearily. “What?”

“Drink your skin now. All of it. Then bury it.” Her urgency stirred some life into Amberle, who scrambled to follow her direction. Eretria looked back toward the incoming human wave. They felt unrelenting, determined in their pace. She draped herself protectively over Amberle as the first horses broke through the trees, rushing passed them. 

They kept coming and Eretria found herself hoping that they would just pass them by, but then a shout was called through the ranks. “Which of us is the one with so rotten luck,” she groaned and Amberle actually laughed in response. “Do not talk,” Eretria directed. “We are human. They will kill me and torture you if they think otherwise.” She locked eyes with Amberle and the other woman nodded her understanding.

A rider halted and dismounted by them. He was not armored like the rest of his company and he struck Eretria as being a bit out of place. His shoulder length blond hair was unkempt from the ride. His blue eyes were piercing, notable from even a distance. “Are you alright,” he inquired.

“Yes, sir,” Eretria feigned timidity.

“I am no sir,” the man assured. “My name is Wil Ohmsford.” The rest of the company of horses collected in the grove. “Where are you headed?”

“West,” Eretria hesitated in responding. 

“Oh, us as well!” He looked to the gathered horsemen. “Fetch these two a horse. They can accompany us,” he demanded.

One of the horsemen dismounted. “Wil, we cannot just pick up random strays. Time is of the essence.”

“They are headed in the same direction as us,” Will argued, “and look, that one,” he pointed to Amberle, “does not look well.”

“That means she will slow us down,” the man argued.

“You do not need to look after us,” Eretria pressed.

Wil shook his head, determined. “We are bringing them or I am not going any further west,” he threatened and Eretria noted the pained expression of the horseman. Wil was important to them, for whatever reason.

A horse was brought over and Wil did not seem open to her arguing further. Eretria helped Amberle onto the horse and then hoisted herself into the saddle in front of the other woman. “Hold on tight, Princess,” she whispered. “Try to get some rest.”

There was a beat before she felt Amberle’s arms wrap around her. It almost took her by surprise. A grin overtook her expression for a moment, but then she shook her head and it vanished. She urged the horse to move and felt a small squeeze around her midsection.

The humans traveled at a hurried pace. Eretria was exhausted and with each passing hour, she felt it become harder to stand the pace. The let herself be distracted by the pressure on her back. The shorter woman had her forehead rested against Eretria’s shoulder. With each particularly jarring bounce, it swayed, indicating the vampire was sleeping, or at least half sleeping. 

The humans showed no sign of stopping even as darkness began to fall. They ate as they rode. Eretria felt Amberle shift to the side too sharply and thanked her reflexes when she managed to throw her arm backward to catch the other woman. She could not hold her for long and pulled back sharply on her reins, nearly causing the horse to rear. 

She unsaddled too fast, too inhumanly, and she looked up to see if anyone had noticed. Wil was looking back at her, already slowing his horse. Her jaw tightened as she helped Amberle from the horse. The vampire sank to the ground instantly.

“What is wrong,” Wil asked as he dismounted, just yards away.

“We have been awake over a day,” Eretria lied, “we cannot travel anymore right now.” Wil looked thoughtful, but then nodded.

“We should stop here,” he called to the horseman from earlier. 

“The horses can go for another few hours,” the man argued. 

“I do not care. I am a healer by trade and will not leave these women,” Wil announced and Eretria had to bury her urge to roll her eyes. “With some solid rest, we can start out early tomorrow.” The horseman looked ready to force Wil back into the saddle, but other men had already dismounted, clearly tired.

“Fires and shelter, let’s go,” the lead horseman hollered and the bustle began.

Eretria assisted in prepping a rough tent for her and Amberle, the only privacy the troop could offer. She coaxed Amberle into the tent and propped her against the provided makeshift cushioning. “Such comforts afforded us ladies,” she quipped to herself.

She eyed the collapsed vampire. They had rode for nearly ten hours, after having run for a few days, after fleeing for their lives. During many of those hours, Amberle was exposed to on and off direct sunlight. And all of that was after rationing a limited blood supply for days. 

Eretria had a few options. She could cut her losses – ditch Amberle and just avoid her estranged caravan for the rest of her life while they hunted her. She could return to Cephalo, without Amberle, and beg for him to just increase her debt, ensuring her lifetime of slavery. The reason she had originally opted to take Amberle back to the Westlands was because it would have a much larger payoff than a random vampire sale. She could easily afford whatever Cephalo would demand, with there even being a fair likelihood of net profit. He was not aware that Amberle was vampire royalty. She had kept that ace up her sleeve. However, Amberle was a liability to her passing as human, with her need to feed. She would not make it another day if she did not feed and might even give in to bloodlust.

There was one more option – she could feed Amberle. She had been warned against ever letting a vampire feed on her. It was said to be addicting. She could not see how, but it was a well-established fear. There was much stigma around those who let a vampire feed from them and even those who did not consent. Human or dhampir, it did not matter, the stigma was the same.

Eretria was always curious, because no one ever explained why the bite was addicting, but at the same time, similarly curious whims got her in the most trouble in life. That had not stopped her before.

She rolled her jacket sleeve up to her elbow, clenching and unclenching her fist as debate still lingered in her mind. “Fuck me,” she hissed, then knelt by Amberle. “Wake up, Princess,” she said as she shook the woman’s shoulder. Amberle’s eyes fluttered, but she was barely there. “Hey, you need to feed,” Eretria ground out. Amberle’s eyes were suddenly very focus, intent on Eretria’s face. Her expression was a mix of confusion and distaste.

“What,” Eretria snapped, “afraid I will offend your delicate palate or taint you in some way?” Amberle looked away. “If I do not do this, I do not make it out of here alive.”

Amberle begrudgingly took Eretria’s proffered arm, her grip weak. She lowered her lips to next to the crease opposite the elbow, on the forearm. The pressure was so light and lingered a moment before her lips parted and she swiftly bit down. Eretria sucked in a sharp breath. Nearly instantly the pain was swept away by a wave of pleasure that bloomed first in the middle of her brain, but then rushed through her whole body. She was frozen, mouth agape, as she rode the unexpected high. When her head lolled forward, she was snapped from her stupor. She pulled back sharply and Amberle surged forward to follow her vein, but a firm hand held her back. “Enough,” Eretria snarled. 

Amberle’s eyes met hers, shame rapidly coloring her visage. “I am sorry.”

“You should be,” Eretria snapped, but her cheeks were flushed and she felt a giddiness lingering, threatening to overthrow her will. “We need to rest. This is what we have,” she waved a hand to indicate the bedroll, tent, and two blankets, one of which was the cushioning behind Amberle’s back. “You want the right or left?”

Amberle looked around, her own cheeks coloring. “I guess I am already more to the right, so the right is fine.”

“Sounds good,” Eretria allowed. The two settled, Amberle shifting to provide Eretria more room, while Eretria wrapped her arm and rolled down her sleeve. There was no other exchange and sleep took Eretria quickly.

 

Amberle lay next to Eretria, listening to her soft breathing, but sleep did not come as easily to her. The dark was when she should have been awake, anyway, but the truth was it was her thoughts that kept her awake. She had never fed directly from anyone before Eretria. She was always provided blood in decanters, like wine. There was something about drinking blood from the vein that made it so much richer. It did not even seem to matter that she was technically drinking half vampire blood – it was beyond amazing. That scared her. And blood had never before had a face attached to it.

She toiled for what seemed like hours before exhaustion overcame the energy the blood gave her. She drifted through restless sleep. She was roused by a call going up around camp. She bolted upright and Eretria was already alert beside her. “Cephalo caught up,” the dhampir murmured.

They were moved with a level of synchronicity. “Grab the horses, I will grab the packs,” Amberle directed and Eretria was swiftly in motion. Amberle gathered up what little they unpacked and ducked out of the tent. A skirmish was underway to the north, but still on the outskirts of camp. Troops were rushing passed to join the fray. As Eretria returned with two horses, the fight surged toward them.

“Up,” Eretria ordered and Amberle hastened to comply. A blinding light caught both of their attentions. Brilliant blue lightning crackled through the air, originating somewhere in the fight, and it ran through the throng. 

“They are retreating!” The new call rang through the mass. 

“Leave?” Amberle asked. Eretria nodded. They rode into what remained of night. Eretria knew the area better, so Amberle let her lead. They both had an understanding that the humans would not have time to follow them and the caravan riders were too beat down by the course of events to risk checking the area until well after the humans cleared out. They had room to breathe, but they were still glad to know they were closing in on their destination. 

Paranor came into view on the second night of them being separated from the humans. It felt like the Everdark finally smiled down upon Amberle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks to anyone who has kudos-ed / bookmarked / subscribed! I hope you all enjoyed this update. Be sure to let me know what you think!


	3. Quest Available: All you have to do is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go with a new chapter! Enjoy!

Amberle patted her stead’s neck. The motion was meant to settle the horse, but the beast was indifferent to its surroundings; it did not care that the humanoid world was potentially falling apart. The temple at Paranor was said to be abandoned, the witches having died out in the wars that raged in her father’s youth. And yet, as she left the mare outside the entrance, she could not take her eyes off the fortress. There was no signs of nature overtaking the structure. It was unexpected and unsettling.

Amberle took determined strides up the steps that led to the inviting, open doors of thick steel. Eretria fell behind, her pace lazier. “So, Princess,” Amberle heard her call, “you ever seen that magic from earlier?”

Amberle glanced over her shoulder, but her eyes never met Eretria’s. She was distant, deep in thought. She had witnessed plenty of the natural magic of other vampires, even vampires considered masters of their element. None of them produced lightning. “Never,” she muttered.

“What was that, Princess,” the dhampir asked, “my super hearing could not even catch that.” Amberle rolled her eyes and kept walking. “Hey, not all of us like being in the dark,” Eretria quipped. She skipped forward so she was just behind Amberle.

“No, I have never,” Amberle restated with a huff.

“Thank you.” There was a moment of silence before Eretria reinitiated interrogation. “So, do you have magic?”

“Is that really what you are concerned about while we walk into the temple that once housed the Third Coven?”

Eretria shrugged. “I am in your service to make sure that you make it first to Paranor – check. Then, I escort you to the Westlands. It is a dangerous journey, to be sure,” she said with faux concern. “I need to be aware of your competency. Basic protocol.”

Amberle felt Eretria’s flippancy grate on her patience. “The royal magic has not been seen in centuries.”

“That is a fantastic tidbit of historical knowledge,” Eretria deadpanned. Amberle was prepared for her to push the topic, but they had reached the doors and Eretria showed the first signs of hesitancy regarding continuing forward. “So, you are totally cool walking into this place while the doors are wide open like this?” They both paused at the threshold.

“I have to find a witch,” Amberle stated, but she did not put words to her concern that the witch she saw would not be at Paranor.

“Right, well whatever holy quest you are on had better be worth it,” Eretria grumbled. She beckoned for Amberle to lead the way and the vampire shook her head.

Passing over the threshold was like bathing after a week of trekking though the Hoare Flats in the height of summer. Amberle felt renewed and weightless. It was like she was experiencing fresh air for the first time. Eretria looked to be having a similar experience.

“Worth it,” Amberle questioned with a cheeky smirk.

“Just lead the way, Princess.”

Amberle followed the main hall of the temple and was pleasantly surprised when it led to a set of doors that opened into a chamber with a raised alter. On the stone table, at the center of the altar, lie the man in her vision.

“Does a dead witch count?”

Amberle frowned. “He should not be dead.”

“I do not hear a heartbeat,” Eretria noted, but she did not seem confident.

They approached and climbed the steps to the altar. “This does not make sense,” Amberle exhaled. “Why would the Everdark want me to find a dead witch?”

Eretria laughed. “You are on a quest for a tree?”

Amberle shot her a glare. “You will thank me later,” she retorted.

“Uh-huh.” The dhampir slowly moved a finger toward the witch’s cheek. “So, what n-“

As soon as her finger made contact, the two women were ripped away from the altar as if by giant invisible hands, landing on their backs at the bottom of the stairs. Amberle struggled to regain her breath but Eretria recovered much more quickly. “Perhaps next time, respect the dead,” Amberle groaned, rolling onto her side.

“He is not dead,” Eretria declared. Amberle looked to the altar, where the man sat upright.

What the-,” Amberle breathed.

“Go ahead, Princess,” Eretria chuckled. “This is an appropriate time to drop a swear. No judgement here.”

“Can you please take things seriously,” Amberle derided.

“You both are going to give me a worse headache than the fact that I have awaked centuries before I was planning to,” the witch growled, without looking at them.

“How long have you been asleep,” Eretria asked, bewildered. “Like damn, I thought the princess had a monopoly on beauty sleep.” Cold eyes turned towards the women. The man did not grace Eretria with a response. Instead, he blinked and his eyes became completely white. “Is he dead now?”

“For Everdark’s sake, no! He is scrying.”

“Naturally.”

Amberle shook her head. “He probably needs to get oriented. By the sounds of it, he could have been asleep for centuries.”

Eretria offered a hand down to Amberle, who accepted the help up off the ground. “You trust this guy?”

“More than I trust you,” Amberle sniped.

“Why?” Eretria pressed. “I know, rover stigma, whatever. But, this guy is a human who planned to sleep for centuries and a tree set you up with him.”

“Not just any tree,” Amberle argued. “The Everdark, the tree that provides a livable region for my kind and has protected us from the influences of evil.”

Amberle caught movement on the altar and looked up to see the witch’s eyes had returned to normal. “The Everdark is not the only tree to speak on my behalf. The Lifefire has found its champion.”

“I thought the Shannara line ended,” Amberle indicated.

The witch stood and moved through a set of stretches as he talked. “Only in name.” He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. “The Lifefire has indicated that one human bares the Shannara blood. He has taken the name Ohmsford.”

“You are kidding?” Eretria threw her hands up, as if in defeat. The name seemed to ring a bell for Amberle, if she could only put her finger on it. And then, like a slap to the face. “Wil Ohmsford? He is a legendary Shannara?” Eretria was apparently on the same page as Amberle. She had not had much in the way of interaction with Wil, but he still did not come across as what she expected from the descendant of the savior of mankind.

“Wil is the champion of the Lifefire. You,” the witch pointed to Amberle, “are the champion of the Everdark.”

“So royalty is special. We get it,” Eretria input, “but why are there champions at all?”

Amberle had been wondering the same thing. The witch eyed the dhampir, spending a long time looking her over. “He has returned.” Amberle silenced Eretria’s wry commentary before it left her mouth, with a glare. “His name is Brona, but his name is not important. He is strogoi.” A chill ran through Amberle and she felt Eretria shudder beside her. “Not only that-,”

“It gets worse?” Eretria spoke what Amberle was thinking.

“He was a witch vampire, before being turned.” Amberle’s heart sank. “He was the reason for the Great War.”

“What do you mean by ‘back’,” Amberle voiced her question.

“In the Great War, we – the chosen vampires including your father and grandfather, Shea Shannara and Jerle before him, and the remainder of the Third Coven - thought we had killed him. We were naïve.”

“At least you did not ally with my parents, they would have abandoned you, too,” Eretria sneered. Amberle let the inappropriate comment go, not willing to acknowledge the hurt she saw. “Her,” the dhampir directed her thumb at Amberle, “and Wil’s parentage were probably a better choice.”

The witch seemed to truly consider Eretria’s input. “Do you know your parents well, dhampir?”

“Fuck you, witch.” Eretria turned to leave, but then Amberle felt the air shift. Energy pulsed through her and she heard the painfully sharp _clack!_   before she even realized that Eretria was on her knees. “Let me up,” the dhampir ground out.

“You need to confront the gravity of the situation,” the man declared.

“As much as I so appreciate how the punishment suits the crime, I think you should release her,” Amberle contributed.

“You vouch for her?” Amberle was caught by the question. “Did you not say you did not trust her?”

“Hey,” Eretria protested, but seemed to gag on her own voice.

“She is in my service,” Amberle offered.

“In your service? Does that make her an ally or a slave?”

“I do not believe in slavery,” Amberle asserted.

“You do not believe it exists or do not agree with it as a system,” the witch pressed as Eretria began to writhe on the ground, clawing at her throat.

“It as a system,” she barked.

“Then she is an ally,” the witch pried.

“The only one at hand,” Amberle blurted.

The witch chuckled as Eretria collapsed, finally allowed an intake of breath. “Better than nothing, I suppose,” she granted. He caught Amberle’s gaze and held it. “You will need her.” She hardly saw his mouth move, but she had heard the statement clearly. “Get up, Eretria,” the witch demanded, “you both have work to do.”

“I am all ears,” Eretria grumbled as she stood. She wore a strangely blasé smile.

“Travel east. Find the other chosen,” the witch directed. “I will head west to find Wil. We will aim to meet back here.”

The witch seemed to think that was enough and was already marching for the exit. “Wait,” Amberle called. He halted. “What is your name?”

“Allanon.” Amberle nodded, dismissing him.

“Safe travels,” she offered. He left.

“So, to recap: you are on a quest, given to you by a tree, to save the world from an ex-vampire witch strogoi, with the help of your trusty dhampir ally. Does that sound right?”

“I am not in the mood for your commentary, Eretria,” Amberle sighed. She suddenly felt her immense exhaustion. Her mouth watered. “I am thirsty,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

Amberle knew Eretria had heard her. She cleared her throat. “I am thirsty,” she repeated, her cheeks suffusing with color.

“And I am the only convenient blood source – perfect!” Eretria smiled wryly. “Alright, Princess.” Amberle frowned. She was not expecting things to be so easy. “On your knees.”

“Excuse me?” Amberle stared blankly at Eretria, whose arms were crossed over her chest.

“If I am going to be your free meal, I get to dictate how it happens. Take it or leave it,” she emphasized. She began rolling up the sleeve of her jacket.

“You are insufferable,” Amberle growled.

“Oh, so you are not in the mood?” Eretria began to unroll her sleeve, covering the briefly revealed skin.

Amberle groaned as her throat seemed to dry in an instant. “Stop,” Amberle rushed the plea. “You will have your way.”

Amberle slowly sank to her knees in front of Eretria. When she looked up, her lip curled at the smug grin Eretria openly displayed. “There you are, Princess,” the dhampir offered her arm, the bite marks from before already healed over, hardly visible. Amberle put no care into not damaging Eretria’s flesh, the one spiteful act she seemed capable of in the moment, but when she looked up to check the dhampir’s reaction, she was surprised to see a flush of color on the other woman’s cheeks. Her eyes were hooded and she was biting her lip, her breathing shaky.

Before she got overwhlemed by the head rush she was having, Amberle pulled away, savoring what she had received, but uncomfortable with the affect her bite had on Eretria. “Thank you,” she muttered and rose. “We should rest here, then head out,” she relayed before she stalked off in search of a bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know your thoughts. Any sort of comment really helps to motivate me :D


	4. The Worth of a Dhampir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It should be noted that I have upped the rating for the story. This will be a violent and bloody story.
> 
> Enjoy, friends!

As dusk came, the two women prepped to leave. Silence hung heavy between them. Eretria noted the way Amberle refused to look directly at her.

Once saddled, they set a hard pace. Eretria knew that they could not keep it up, but it felt good to feel the landscape rush by. She could get lost in the wind for hours. Her mind was clear while the pace kept up, but as the woman and horses tired, she could not hide from her thoughts. She had just learned that actual peril struck the world. She was a rover and that meant she had plenty of firsthand experience with Strigoi. Living outside the protection of walls or the fabled trees. Rovers were easy pickings for Strigoi raids. On her left arm was tattooed two X s. They told any rover she showed that she had managed to kill two Strigoi. 

An ex-witch vampire Strigoi? How did that even happen? Vampire witches were said to be the most unlikely witch. Witches tended to be human, with occasional dhampir or shifter witches, but it was nearly unheard of to have a vampire witch. The raw magic of a vampire and the purposeful magic of a witch. Fuck. How did such a witch become Strigoi? 

And then, the world was supposed to rely on the tree champions? A Shannara healer. And Amberle.

The memory of Amberle on her knees, glaring, her lip curled back in distaste, became the forefront of Eretria’s thoughts. She had thought it was a great idea at the time, to bring the woman down a peg, to lash out after hearing that everyone around – Amberle, Wil, and Allanon – were important to the world’s survival, but the rover, nah, she was just a nuisance. 

And while she was not exactly looking to be in Amberle’s good graces, she was not really looking to put herself back, either. She did not seem to be a bad person. She was ignorant and privileged, sure, but she did not give Eretria that urge to tie her up and leave her to die.

When they took a moment to let the horses rest, Eretria confronted the silence. “Alright, Princess, from here we should-,”

“What makes you think I want your opinion?”

Eretria let it slide. She had put the woman in a humiliating situation. “Hear me out. This is my area of expertise.”

Amberle was silent. Eretria watched her deliberation play over her face. It was likely that she was searching for any reason to disagree. “Fine,” she conceded.

“You do realize that, until I am paid and go on my merry way, I am an asset to you, right?” It may have sounded like a jab, but it was a question born of self-doubt.

“Yes, so I have been told,” Amberle spat.

Eretria’s eyes narrowed. “You have been told?”

Amberle’s jaw tensed. “Yes,” she threw her arms up, “Allanon said I needed you.”

Eretria grinned and laughed. “The tree whisperer told you! See? So, let me pass my wisdom on to you,” she could hardly keep a straight face as bursts of laughter overtook her.

“Get on with it before your ego clouds your judgment,” Amberle demanded.

Eretria was still chuckling. “My ego?” She shook her head. “The band of chosen brethren you abandoned are likely to follow the same path they took to Eastland to get back to the Westlands. So, if we find their path east, we came follow it until we run into them heading west.”

“Makes sense,” Amberle conceded. “Then all we have to do is find their tracks headed east,” she filled in and Eretria nodded. Amberle moved to get in the saddle once more.

“Amberle,” Eretria transitioned to a new thought.

“You know my name,” the vampire jokingly questioned, not yet looking up.

“I am not playing,” Eretria insisted.

Amberle chuckled. “So, you are the only one allowed to initiate play?”

Eretria chuckled softly, but then shook her head. “Point well made. I have to ask,” she got back on track, “what is your plan, overall?”

Amberle did look to her at that moment, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we have just been told the scariest thing imaginable does actually exist and death is coming. You, and me by association, have been given marching orders, given a path that we are supposed to follow,” she summarized. “Do you think following Allanon’s direction will result in the world resuming its daily routine?”

“I have to,” Amberle asserted. “The Everdark has shown me things that may come to pass. I have to believe there is a way to stop that destruction.” She took a beat where she seemed to disappear into her thoughts. “I have no battle experience. I have never lived through war. I am neither a soldier, nor an experienced tactician, but I feel compelled to help. So, if someone or a sentient tree tells me there is something I can do, I will follow through.”

Eretria let her declaration sink in. In that moment, she had more respect for the woman she was using to pay off her debts. The vampire was someone willing to fight and that was more than she had ever expected from anyone born with royal blood.

“We should get moving,” Eretria indicated. Amberle studied her a moment, but let it go.

They moved at a slower pace from there, searching for signs of the chosen. 

 

They camped on the path. Amberle woke as the sun was just falling beneath the horizon. As the rose, she noticed that Eretria had already packed up her own bedroll. The dhampir was not absent long, walking into camp stark naked.

“Oh! What-,” Amberle turned away hastily. “What are you doing?”

Eretria responded with indifference. “I bathed. I smelled terrible and I am in civilized company.”

“No, I understand bathing,” Amberle hissed. “Why are you parading through camp?”

“I forgot a towel,” Eretria overly enunciated. Amberle saw movement on her periphery. “Are you afraid you will like what you see, Princess?”

“I have no doubt in my indifference,” Amberle scoffed.

Eretria barked a laugh. “Is that so? Then why can you not look at me?”

“Because looking at you is infuriating,” Amberle contended, but she recognized the weakness of her argument.

“Then, if it makes you feel better, I will dress and then we can pretend we are here to do something important.” Amberle listened to the rustle of fabric until Eretria indicated that she could turn about. “Time to feed, Princess.” Amberle turned to find that Eretria was not offering her arm, but instead she held the collar of her jacket aside, revealing her neck entirely. Eretria wore an inviting smirk and Amberle felt her heart skip a beat.

“Fuck off,” Amberle snarled.

“You sure you do not want a taste?” The dhampir trailed her fingers down her throat.

“I swear to the Everdark, I do not care who says you are necessary, as soon as I have the funds to pay you, you are gone,” she avowed. 

Eretria’s smile faltered and Amberle thought for a moment it had been her words, but then Lorin came riding into view. “Amberle,” he called as he noticed her. The rest of the troop followed and they slowed to a stop. “I am so glad we found you! Where did you go?”

“Never mind that,” Amberle said. “I have been tracking you.”

Lorin brushed passed Eretria and embraced Amberle. Crispin’s gruff voice broke through the moment. “Who is this?”

Lorin stood back and Amberle returned her gaze to the woman in question. She watched as one of the vampire soldiers grabbed Eretria’s arm and the woman shoved him off with a, “do not touch me.” This incited that soldier and a few others to lock her arms in their grasp. “Hey, Princess, get these guys off of me,” Eretria grunted.

Still upset, Amberle ignored her request. “On your knees,” she commanded, “dhampir.” Even as she was saying the word, she already regretted letting her anger get the better of her. Hisses and jeers sounded through the grove. Eretria’s glare was glacial and froze the fire in Amberle’s heart. The woman sank to her knees as the soldiers and chosen spat their disgust. “Stop,” she demanded of the men, but it was too late. She watched Eretria’s expression become distant, like she was not even there, lost to the world. Her head bowed and Amberle could no longer see her face.

She did not have time to backpedal. Crispin was already dictating that camp should be taken down. “Your Highness,” he addressed her, “we are headed back to the Westlands. You should come with us.”

Amberle shook her head. “We head for Paranor. The witch Allanon will meet us there with a Shannara heir.” Crispin looked confused. “I will let him explain, but for now, it is just better if we get a move on.”

“You heard her highness,” he hollered, “let’s move out.” He turned to one of the soldiers. “Tie leashes to the back of two horses and put them on the dhampir.”

Amberle intervened. “Give her a horse.”

“She is not to be trusted,” Crispin argued.

“I trust her,” Amberle proclaimed, looking to see if Eretria was listening, but the woman remained as she was, head down. “If you are scared of her, put her on my horse and I will watch her closely.”

“That will not be necessary,” Crispin ground out.

“Good. She gets a horse.” Amberle waved him away and approached Eretria. “Come on, we have to go.”

The woman finally looked up and smoothly rocked into a standing position. “Almost thought you were worth my time, Princess. Thanks for the reminder that I am not worth yours.”

Amberle looked away for a moment and Eretria took it as a sign that she should go. “Wait, Eretria,” Amberle stood in her path. “I did not mean to-,”

“Throw me to the dogs?”

Amberle flinched. “Yes, that.” She was not used to Eretria being so serious.

“Well, that is what matters – that you did not mean to.”

Amberle let her go at that point. She dragged a hand down her face with a sigh. She had really messed up. The moments replayed through her head as she rode. She would have to make things up to Eretria, she decided.

They retraced their steps towards Paranor. They were able to move more quickly than when she and Eretria had been tracking the others. The temple came into view while it was still dark. She rode next to Lorin and she exchanged a grin with him when he pointed to the structure. It felt like an accomplishment, to fulfill what Allanon asked of her.

The soldiers at the front suddenly stopped and their horses refused to go any further forward. They were spooked and before Amberle even had the opportunity to wonder why, she heard Eretria scream a word that made her blood run cold. “Strigoi!”

At once, figures blurred into sight, swarming out of the thick trees. She watched one lunged at a soldier in front of her, he and his horse both being toppled by the force of the impact. There was a sickening spray of crimson as his head flew away from his body and Amberle could not even tell how it happened.

Her horse reared, throwing her from the saddle. She landed hard and rolled away from the prancing, scared hooves above her. When she stood, she noted that all the horses had bolted or were on the ground. The vampires that survived the initial assault brandished weapons or magic. Lorin’s palms blazed with his potent fire magic. He and Crispin teamed up against one of the Strigoi.

Amberle whipped about, searching for Eretria, but then one of the demons was on her, howling as it grabbed her by the throat, lifting her swiftly into the air. She could not tell how far her feet dangled above the earth. All she could focus on were the dark red eyes and the grin that displayed a mouth full of jagged fangs. She fumbled against the fingers around her neck.

She heard a crunch and thought that was the end of her, but then she noticed the way the arm the held her bent in the opposite direction than it should, and she felt the vertigo as she dropped. Eretria slammed a knife into the Strigoi’s throat and he dropped.

“Move!” The dhampir grabbed Amberle under the arm and hoisted her up, then pushed her in a direction that seemed the least crowded. 

“Lorin,” Amberle protested, looking for her childhood friend. Two Strigoi corpses burned at his feet, but then she watched a third come up behind him and sink its teeth into his neck, ripping away violently before going back for more. She heard his strangled cry as she turned away and ran with Eretria. 

They ran for the temple. “Faster,” Eretria hollered as they climbed the steps.

Amberle glanced over her shoulder. A Strigoi pursued and Amberle was not as fast as Eretria. It was gaining. As it was just about to reach Amberle, Eretria moved to intercept it. It was ready for that and Amberle fell back onto the steps as she watched the Strigoi’s arm skewer Eretria straight through the center of her chest.

Eretria stood her ground, as an act of shear will and spite. She roared as she dug her fingers into the Strigoi’s neck and pulled her hands apart with all of her remaining might. It was a gruesome display, the Strigoi shrieking as its head was torn from its shoulders. 

And then Eretria fell.

The Strigoi’s decapitated body was beneath her when Amberle reached her. “No, no no no,” Amberle cried. She pulled the body away from Eretria and gasped at the cavity that showed right through the center of the woman’s chest.

“Make it worth it, Princess,” Eretria coughed, blood coming up.

“You cannot die. You, Lorin, no. Please,” she wept. Eretria smiled faintly, but then the light faded from her eyes. “No!” Amberle screamed, tears blurring her vision. Her hands hovered over Eretria’s face, searching for something that she could do. “Do not leave me,” she sputtered. 

Her hands felt like they were one fire and light erupted from them, blinding Amberle. And then it faded. And she faded. Darkness claimed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whelp, that happened. Awkward.
> 
> Do not hate me too much and I will see you next time!


	5. When Death Becomes You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy <3

Eretria felt like she had drowned. She imagined her body floating in a lake, feet beneath the surface, already dead. There was a dull burn in her lungs, like they had struggled for minutes to breathe, but given up long ago. Her limbs felt weighted and useless. Yet she felt like she was suspended above the ground, unsure if she was even oriented such that the ground was below her feet. She had no way of knowing how time moved, how long she had been like she was.

Like a punch to the gut, everything started moving again. She launched into a sitting position and instantly regretted it. She rolled to her side, falling from a small height to a set of steps and tumbled until she was at the bottom. Then she was on her hands and knees, retching, her back arcing in the effort to bring something up.

“Hey,” a voice called, “you have not eaten in days, nothing is going to come up,” it explained.

It did not seem to matter, her body went through the motions and each effort made her want to just flatten to the ground. Finally she had a long enough breath between heaves to rock herself backward, falling roughly onto her ass. It took even longer for her to keep her eyes open enough to take in her surroundings. The stairs she rolled down led to the altar where she and Amberle had found Allanon. “Amberle?”

A face came into view, but it was not who she expected. Wil was grinning. “She is in the other room,” he informed Eretria. “Wow, you really are back!”

Eretria was confused. She did not question how he got there or why he was so giddy. She was baffled by the fact that he appeared so dull. His piercing eyes were so flat. As she looked around the room, she noticed it everywhere. Everything appeared in a dull grayscale. She still recognized color, but it was like her mind washed it out. She could tell that the draping on the wall was violet, but she could not see it. 

“What happened,” she asked, her eyes darting about, searching for anything that registered with color. She noted that she wore a tunic that was not her own.

“Do not worry about that, for now,” he insisted.

“I am so passed worried,” she grumbled. “Just tell me.” Wil looked torn and she imagined he was under orders not to tell her anything. “Fine,” she released him from his toil, “get me someone who can and will explain.”

He sighed and stood, hustling out of the room. Eretria let her head fall back and her eyes close. She ran through a checklist of her senses. Everything felt cold, quiet, slow, and dead. It was truly disconcerting.

“Eretria!” That did not sound dead.

Eretria opened her eyes to a rush of color. She had to blink at the brightness of it. Amberle was in view, looking like a huge weight had just been lifted from her. “You are alright,” she breathed and Eretria was struck by a wave of relief. It felt foreign though, because she did not feel relieved. Eretria was still bewildered, still afraid. 

The vampire reached out, her fingers hesitantly touching Eretria’s cheek. It was like a fire was lit under her flesh, flaring through her body. It startled her so much that she struck the hand instinctually. Physical and emotion pain blossomed within her.

“What the fuck is happening?” Her tone was harsh and she could see its effect on Amberle’s expression.

Allanon appeared behind Amberle. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Let me speak to her,” he addressed Amberle. Amberle looked confused, but she nodded and left. All the color and heat receded with her.

Eretria was on her feet in a blur, face to face with Allanon. “I am telling you now, Witch, I am not in the mood for riddles or any other bullshit. Tell me straight, what happened?”

He eyed her passively. “I cannot say I know what you are experiencing. There is nothing written about your condition,” he revealed, “but I do know the reason for what you are going through.”

“Yes, get on with it,” Eretria urged. 

“You died.”

Eretria paused at that. She replayed her last memories, the Strigoi running her through. She had known she would die. There was no surviving a wound like that. “So, then me being here is the reason everything feels wrong?”

“What does it feel like,” the witch asked.

She cracked her neck while she held back a number of violent urges. “I am not going to sit here and describe my feelings so you can write about it in a book,” she spat. “Why am I alive?”

“It was not me, if that is what you were asking,” he intoned.

“I told you to tell me straight,” she snarled.

“The magic of the vampire royal line has been dormant for centuries,” he started. “Different people call the magic different things; some call it Life or Spirit magic, others call it Shadow magic. It is said to bring things back from the dead, but that was treated as speculation from the writings. You are confirmation of the theory. You were brought back.”

“By Amberle,” Eretria asked, despite knowing the answer.

“Yes,” Allanon confirmed. “I do not know how it works. We do not know enough about what even happens at death such that magic could affect it. I have so many theories,” he was beginning to ramble, Eretria realized. “It could be that she fished your soul out of wherever it goes or she has provided you with a new soul or-,” Eretria tuned him out.

“Whatever,” she grumbled with a dismissive wave of her hand, “thanks.” She stalked off. 

As soon as she exited the chamber, Amberle was on her, returning life to her world. She trust her hand out, signaling for Amberle not to get close. “Are you alright,” the vampire asked, her brilliant green eyes seeming to bore a hole straight through Eretria’s barriers.

“Since when did you care,” she reflexively asked.

“You saved my life,” the vampire whispered.

“I made a gamble on those steps, to see if I could get out alive and protect my investment,” she explained tersely. She felt the sting of her words more than she saw it. 

“Do not paint yourself as a callous person, Eretria,” Amberle pressed. “If all you want is money, I will be sure you are paid in full, but I owe you my life,” Amberle insisted.

Eretria studied her. “What do you know about what happened?”

Amberle’s brow furrowed and Eretria felt a wave of confusion. “I woke up a few days ago. Allanon said that he and Wil had arrived on the scene of the fight too late to save anyone else, but they brought both of us into the safety of the temple. They have been working tirelessly to repair your wound.”

Eretria groaned. “They did not even fucking tell you.”

Another wave of confusion. “Tell me what?”

“Eretria,” Allanon appeared behind her, “perhaps we should talk about a few things.”

“Shut up, witch!” She howled. “You have no say in what we get to know or not know.” She turned back to Amberle, who looked contemplative. “I died on those stairs.”

A rush of fear almost buckled Eretria’s knees, but Amberle looked serene. She knew how to hide her fear. “I brought you back,” she stated. Her eyes met Eretria’s. “I did, right?”

Eretria nodded. “Your magic. You knew about it?”

“I used it once on a bird, when I was a child, just before my dad died,” she explained. “I did not think I would ever be able to use it again. It was an accident the first time.”

Eretria nodded as she followed along. “Well, congrats, all around. You have magic. I am alive. We have brought the cohort of goodness together. We should all feel good,” Eretria proclaimed. She did not feel good.

_She is putting on a front._ The thought passed through her mind, but it seemed misplaced. She had not been thinking about Amberle.

“Eretria, would you like some food, or anything,” the vampire offered. It was a means of changing direction, but in that moment, Eretria could not care less. The question seemed to trigger her sense of hunger and she was starved. “Follow me. Wil make something earlier and it is really not bad.”

They left Allanon and his pensive stare. She was halfway through a bowl of stew before she even registered what she was eating. While serving herself a second bowl, she initiated conversation. “So, has it been a week?”

Amberle had seated herself at a table in the small kitchen. “Six days, I believe,” she confirmed. Eretria noted the way Amberle watched her lift spoon to lips. She had been feeling better, but a new wave of hunger washed over her. Except, it felt different. She was thirsty. It itched down her throat and her breath caught.

“Amberle, have you had blood?”

Amberle noticeably swallowed. “I only had a new skin that I got from Lorin, but it was half full and I ran out two days ago,” she confessed. “How did you know?”

Eretria forced a chuckle. “Your breathing patterns give you away,” she lied. She could not stand the thirst. “Would you like some?”

Amberle hesitated a moment before saying, “no, I am fine. You need to rest.”

Eretria squinted and tapped her chin, as if thinking. “Last I checked, I slept for six days, Princess. I think I am good.”

Amberle chuckled halfheartedly, but her lips remained slightly parted and her breathing was faintly ragged. “Are you sure?”

“I am not the type to offer what I would not give,” Eretria remarked. An image of her own neck, daringly on display, flashed through her mind. She bit her lip, trying to remember that Amberle was just thirsty. “Where would you like to drink from,” she teased.

“Whatever you offer,” Amberle breathed.

Eretria put down her bowl and offered a hand down to Amberle. The vampire took it, standing face to face with the dhampir. Eretria had a few inches on Amberle, but it was nothing significant. She herded her hair to one shoulder and pulled the foreign tunic away from the other. With her head tilted toward her hair, her neck was fully exposed. 

She let Amberle close the distance, to bring her parted lips within inches of Eretria’s flesh. The vampire’s breath sent shivers through the rover. When Amberle bit down, Eretria had to bite her lip to keep herself from making a sound. And then came the pleasure. It came both from the effects of the bite, igniting in her head and blazing through her body, and the satisfaction of the feed. She was experiencing Amberle’s ecstasy and it was overwhelming.

She grabbed the back of Amberle’s shirt, to anchor herself, but it was too late.

 

Amberle was in a state of ecstasy as she drank from Eretria. When the rover gripped that back of her shirt, her instinct was to move closer. She pressed up against Eretria, drinking deeply. And then suddenly, Eretria’s weight was upon her, her head falling onto Amberle’s shoulder and all of her pitching forward. Amberle pulled her mouth away and did her best to maneuver Eretria slowly to the ground.

It was then that Wil decided to pop in, commenting, “so am I the only one who thinks it is super cool that you came back from the dead?” He stopped in his tracks as he noticed Eretria on the ground and blood lightly trailing from Amberle’s lips.

“No, I did not take that much,” she immediately insisted, her hands flying up, to profess her innocence. 

To confirm her statement, Eretria stirred on the floor. She sat up slowly, with anxious eyes on her. “Well, that is embarrassing. Remind me next time I have a lover that I have to give before I receive.” Amberle groaned, no longer concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would love to hear your thoughts, friends :D


	6. When a Rover Takes a Stab at Communicating

The days passed with a rising level of tension. Amberle and Wil were both anxious to know the condition of the people they loved, in their respective homes, and Eretria just wanted to get the show on the road, becoming stir crazy in the temple. Amberle imagined that she felt trapped, having always lived on the move. Allanon had insisted that they give Eretria plenty of time to rest, even as the dhampir herself argued that she was healthy.

Eretria, in an apparent act of spite, had taken it upon herself to help Amberle with her close combat. Being a dhampir, she was physically the closest to a Strigoi, and the best sparring partner, she had pointed out. Amberle had been tentative, but Eretria had this way of smoothing each fear or hesitation as they came up. It was oddly charming, the way the dhampir seemed to be able to sense a lot that was going on for Amberle and was made efforts to ameliorate each situation. 

The sparring took her mind off most things. It allowed her to focus on one of the things she could do, one thing that might help in their quest. Staying alive – that would help.

A particularly hard punch jarred her from her thoughts. “You need to focus, Princess,” Eretria commented. “I can tell when you are hardly paying attention.”

Eretria was always holding back, Amberle knew, but that just helped her slack. Eretria was so controlled. Amberle knew she would never walk away with more than bruises. Those knowing eyes were on her, reading her. “Would it help if I threatened your life?”

Amberle was not even surprised that Eretria guessed right again. “I do not know,” she admitted. “Maybe.”

Before she even had the chance to give a definitive answer, Eretria was in motion. Amberle instinctively raised an arm to protect her face, but it was swiftly deflected and she choked as Eretria’s palm slammed into her chest, just below the throat. Eretria followed the momentum through and Amberle was knocked straight down to the ground. Her breath left her on impact, but Eretria did not give. Instead, she continued to take, her hand shifting up, blocking Amberle’s airway. “You have roughly forty seconds, I would say, before you pass out,” the dhampir coolly explained. “If I do not snap your neck before that point.”

Amberle’s arms shot up, trying to shove Eretria away, but the rover would not budge. “Thirty seconds.” Amberle’s lungs burned, starved of fresh air. Eretria did not relent. If anything, she squeezed harder. Amberle fought the rising panic, her brain frantically rationalizing that she was safe. “You are going to die by my hand in twenty seconds,” Eretria contradicted. “And I do not have the magic to bring you back. Fifteen.” Amberle’s eyes darted to the side. There was a knife sheathed on Eretria’s calf. She reached it as the dhampir said “ten.” She pulled it and spun it in her fingers, such that her thumb secured the butt of the knife in her grip. Her vision was fading. She pulled back then plunged the knife toward Eretria’s leg, stopping just short of contact. “You should have done it,” the rover stated, batting the knife out of her hand. She fell into to blackness.

When she woke, her hands went immediately to her throat, testing the sensitivity of her flesh. There were bruises, she could tell without seeing it. “You should heal the next time you drink,” Eretria commented, from somewhere in the room. Amberle heaved herself up into a seated position. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

“I did not let you die, for starters,” she jibed. 

Eretria actually laughed. “That certainly would have saved you from passing out,” she allowed. “You did not stab me.”

“I was not about to stab you,” Amberle hastily contended.

“You should have. It does not matter who it is, if they are choking you out and you have access to a knife, stab them.” She walked over and offered a hand down to Amberle, who took it after a moment of hesitation. The dhampir hoisted her with ease. “Before that, your reaction to me attacking. You cannot put up a solid defense against someone as strong or stronger than I. I could break your arm in the same punch as I break your nose.” Amberle cringed at the idea. “You need to redirect my momentum. Push me off course.” She slowly threw a punch, aiming it at Amberle’s face, but used her opposite hand to push it slightly to the side. “It will not work fully, but I will not get a square hit.” Her fist lightly tapped Amberle’s cheek, just the knuckle of her little finger. “And be prepared to be hit. You cannot throw me off that much.” The fist continued forward, as if following fully through the punch. “Whatever opportunity that gives you, use it. A soldier, fighter, dhampir, Strigoi, they will all assume they will hit. You only get one shot to catch them off guard.”

“And if I am up against more than one,” Amberle queried. 

“You had better be inventive,” Eretria chuckled. Amberle pondered everything that Eretria had shared, but the dhampir did not let her get too far into thought. “Let us sit for a spell. I want to talk about something,” Eretria directed and while Amberle had no clue what Eretria could want to talk about, she would not say no to sitting down. 

They moved to a courtyard that let them look up into the night sky without the fear of Strigoi attacking. “So, what is this about,” Amberle pried.

“Brace yourself, Princess,” Eretria warned. “So, I am not the trusting sort,” she started and Amberle had to stifle a snort. “Yes, no one is surprised, but it is a deep seeded thing. I am both a dhampir and a rover.” Amberle looked down at that. “My parents did not want me. Not my vampire father, nor my human mother. I do not even know who they are.” The rover to a beat to steel herself. “I was a slave from a young age. I could not work right away and Cephalo paid for my upkeep, and that means I am indebted to him. Years of debt. I had no choice but to fall into the rover stereotype. No one adopts a dhampir child. No one wants us.”

Amberle’s stomach turned over. She had never considered Eretria’s or any other rover’s upbringing before. She had been taught they liked to steal from people who worked for or inherited their wealth and she had assumed it to be true. “Once the rover and dhampir labels were slapped on me, there was no honest work. And no one I could trust.” She sighed. “However, I do not tell you this because I want you to feel bad or responsible,” Amberle was caught by the word choice, because that was exactly what she was feeling. “I am just trying to give you a little perspective before I tell you the next bit.”

Amberle inhaled a deep breath. “Well, do not hold me in suspense.”

Eretria smiled wryly, but then it faded. “You are the least likely person I expected to trust.” Amberle was taken aback. “You are a royal vampire. We are exact opposites, in terms of status. In terms of upbringing. It is hard to trust someone who has no perspective about your own life.” Amberle nodded slowly. “I have gotten to know you.” Amberle’s eyes narrowed. Had she given away that much?

“When I first woke, Allanon began babbling about death and what happens to a soul when someone dies, on and on, theories about the workings of life and death,” the transition was abrupt, but after a moment Amberle nodded to indicate that she could continue. “I have my own theory about what happens when you used your magic.”

Amberle was definitely curious, but she could not figure out how things connected. “Let me continue,” Eretria prompted. Amberle furrowed her brow and blinked, but then nodded. “My soul no longer exists. The one I had, previously. And you cannot just create a soul. So, you took part of your soul and put it in me.”

“And, why do you think that,” Amberle pressed. 

Eretria visibly hesitated. She licked her lips and seemed to reform her words in her mouth over and over before she finally got anything out. “You are inside me,” she squinted as she reconsidered her wording. “I can hear you in my head. And feel you,” she tapped her chest, over her heart, “in her. Your thoughts and feelings, I experience them.”

Amberle was silent. She ran through the past days, replaying moments where Eretria had seemed to in tune with what she needed. She considered the number of private thoughts she had had. Her secrets. Her past. What did she know? Panic rose suddenly, laced with shame. “No, please,” Eretria pleaded. “I cannot search your head. I do not know what you do not think about.”

And then came the rage. Eretria had her eyes closed, her breath purposefully controlled, meant to sooth. “Why?” 

She was about to specify further, but Eretria was already responding. “What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to bring it up? I did not trust you,” Eretria’s fingers wove into her own hair, looking to want to dig into the flesh. “I could not know that you would not want to just kill me again. I am expendable. The others would have backed you.”

“It is so beyond fucked up that you know exactly what to say, because you know what is in my head,” Amberle fumed. She tried to rein herself in, but was not sure she wanted to. “What does this mean? What are you to me?”

Eretria looked relieved but tired as Amberle numbed. “Loyal,” she breathed.

“Fuck off. Nothing you say feels genuine,” Amberle spat.

Eretria took a step towards her, but Amberle instantly took a step back, keeping the distance. The rover did the last thing Amberle expected; she dropped to her knees. “I have never trusted anyone, before now. But I know you. I know you are someone I can trust, truly. I know it was not the best way to get there, but neither of us could help that.” Her words flooded out so quickly, as if she thought Amberle would stop listening at any moment. “When the sun rose the first day after you brought me back, I left. No matter how far I traveled, I could still feel you. I thought distance might make a difference.” She shook her head.

“If you cannot stand the idea of me in your head,” she drew a knife and offered it to Amberle. “I died on those steps. I am not truly alive. My world is colorless and cold. I will not blame you.”

Amberle exhaled sharply. “You are not even gambling with your life. You already know I will not kill you.”

Eretria huffed. “Come on, Princess.”

The side of Amberle’s mouth twitched. “I will have to consider this,” she announced, finally.

“Do not keep me in the dark- oh wait.”

Amberle rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You are already making jokes about this?”

“What else can we do?”

Amberle sighed and shook her head. “I do not know.”

Eretria stood. “Would you like to see if you can manage to stab me?”

Amberle could not help the way her lips quirked into a smile. “So very much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, friends! See you next time! :D


	7. The Trick to Honesty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While life may try to throw lemons at me, I have always been good at dodgeball. I think that is how that saying goes. I am tired and I blame life. Also, I think I am clever. For that, I blame being tired. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter :D

Things could have gone worse, Eretria supposed. She sparred with Amberle once more and she felt the energy as Amberle tried to get the knife, letting her discomfort drive her. Eretria did not blame her. She did keep a careful distance any time Amberle managed to snag a blade from her person, but she was not truly concerned.

After a few days, Amberle’s spiteful energy waned, giving rise to contemplation. It was unconscious, the way she slipped into different trains of thought. When Eretria called for a break for water, the thinking continued. 

One particular line led to that image of Eretria displaying her neck, for Amberle to drink from. Eretria could not contain her snort. “Oh Everdark, you are listening!”

Eretria sucked breath through clenched teeth, a guilty grin overtaking her visage. “Not intentionally,” she offered. “You are loud, though.”

Amberle scoffed. “I should not have to be quiet.”

Eretria had her tongue pressed against her cheek, trying very hard not to laugh. “You should not force yourself to be quiet,” she agreed. She bit her lip, trying to contain her grin. “I like the way you see me,” she stated. 

“Fuck off,” Amberle grumbled.

“Your mouth has gotten dirtier since meeting me,” Eretria commented. Amberle groaned, exasperated. “I am not making fun, regarding the way you see me. I like being desirable, even if it is just for,” she tapped the vein in her neck. 

_It is not just for that,_ Amberle thought. Then her expression went stony. “You heard that?”

Eretria made a concerted effort to control her face. “That I did.” She saw the color rising in Amberle’s cheeks. “Hey, it is alright to be attracted to me,” Eretria assured. “And I do not mean that in an egotistical way. People feel attraction. And it may not agree with what their heads tell them they want. Or what society dictates.”

“You are so blasé about it,” Amberle observed. 

“Hey, somehow I ended up attracted to you, so, I get it,” she bantered.

“What?”

“And you should be glad you do not hear what goes on up here,” she smirked as she tapped the side of her skull. Amberle looked aghast, but she was playing through what thoughts she imagined Eretria might harbor. “Oh, you are not even close,” Eretria informed her. The flush was instant. “Just know, I will not act on it, unless you expressly invite me. I understand the difference between attraction and desire.”

“You are surprisingly not the worst person to have in my head,” Amberle offered, tersely.

“Of all the heads to be in, yours is rather nice,” Eretria returned. She licked her lips, trying to find the right way to transition the conversation. “So, I have a request, if I might make one.”

Amberle narrowed her eyes, almost imperceptibly. “What is it?”

“I have noticed the way you look at Wil,” Eretria began, receiving a groan. “Now, I know I have no right to dictate who you are attracted to or who you love, but could you avoid sleeping with anyone who I am very much not attracted to?”

Amberle’s brows furrowed as she processed the request. “And how am I to know who these people are?”

“Well, there is Wil, for starters,” Eretria noted. “The rest is pretty easy. I am really not into men. Well, really just anyone with those parts.”

“Uh-huh, well, that is a lot of people in the ‘no’ pile,” Amberle observed. “And where I tend to find myself more often attracted to those in that no pile, you are really asking a lot.”

Eretria sighed. “I know.” 

Silence spread between them. Amberle studied her and Eretria tried to focus on anything that was not her thoughts. “Since you already know what I am feeling, I am just going to outright say it. –“

“You are thirsty,” Eretria beat her to the punch.

“At least let me get the words out,” Amberle huffed.

Eretria smirked. “I am sorry; go ahead.”

Amberle cocked a brow, her lips pursed. “I am thirsty.”

“Anything else with that,” Eretria offered with an unrepressed grin. 

“Do not push your luck, Rover.”

“I would not dream of it, Princess.” 

Amberle approached her slowly, testing the waters. She was hesitating because she knew that Eretria could hear her, her desire seeping to the forefront of her mind. She was clouding it with doubt, although Eretria could not tell if it was by conscious effort. 

“Stop thinking about it,” Eretria suggested. “You need to feed. I am a willing supplier. It does not have to be or mean anything more. And if you want it to be more, that can come later, after we talk. For now, just let it be simple.”

There were so many thoughts going through Amberle’s head and Eretria was not prepared for the one she voiced. “What do you want?”

Eretria laughed to cover her surprise. “That is… complicated,” she struggled to find a proper qualifier. 

“You get to know the entire inside of my head and I get a blanket statement about how it is complicated?”

Eretria’s visage displayed guilty recognition. “I see the hypocrisy,” she acknowledged. “But I do not want to sway your thoughts.” She expected Amberle to just infer that Eretria wanted something more. It did cross her mind, but was hardly addressed.

“You think I cannot make my own decisions?” A finger was pointed squarely at the space between her eyes. “I know you are affected by my thoughts, so why should I not be affected by yours?”

“That-,” Eretria began, but lost steam immediately, “that is a fair point.”

“Thank you,” Amberle deadpanned. She dropped her hand back to her side.

Eretria exhaled, her shoulders slumping in defeat for a moment. “My world is not the same,” Eretria explained. “It is dead – everything is colorless and cold.”

Amberle nodded. “I recall you saying that, before. I am sorry,” she said.

“It is what it is,” Eretria shrugged. “The thing is, it is not _entirely_ true.” Amberle’s eyes narrowed and her hands were on her hips, but she waited. “Well, I see you in color,” Eretria murmured. “And it is brighter than I ever saw it in life. You warm the room and your touch-,” Eretria practically purred at the thought, “fuck, your touch is like life itself. I am truly back when you touch me, I feel like.” Amberle’s mind was oddly quiet, just absorbing the words. “And normally I would curse the two trees, or whoever, that I am stuck with just one person who makes me feel that way, but now I know you, and I am alright with it being you.”

And that is when the gears came to a grinding halt. “Did you just say you could only be with me?”

Eretria laughed. “Not quite, Princess. I am sure I can be with other people and maybe after I get used to the fact that they feel like a corpse, I could have fun, but you have a bit of a head start on everyone, I suppose.” She laughed again, “I guess I am lucky you are my type.”

“Everdark, you take this so lightly.” Amberle shook her head, over and over, her thoughts churning.

“I have had a few days to think about it,” Eretria pointed out. “Allanon has been stalling our getting out of here and there is not much for me to do other than think. That and kick your ass.”

“Funny,” Amberle grumbled. “So, you like me?”

Eretria exhaled a chuckle. “That I do, Princess, but do not let it go to that pretty head of yours.”

Eretria barely saw the impulse before Amberle closed the distance between them, pausing just a second to look up into the dhampir’s eyes, before their lips met. Eretria’s thoughts crashed powerfully like waves against a cliff. The spark instantly ignited within her and in the next moment she pressed forward, her hands finding their way to the vampire’s sides and pulled her closer. It was a blistering kiss, filled with lots of nervous energy. It left her breathless when she pulled back, knowing that it was not meant to go any further.

Amberle was similarly lacking of breath when she said, “thank you for your honesty.” She stepped back.

“If that is your way of saying thank you, I will have to be honest more often,” Eretria panted.

“It is best to give a dog a treat or it might forget the lesson,” Amberle explained dryly, a devilish smirk making Eretria’s heart skip a beat. 

Eretria cocked a brow. “You are lucky I know you are joking or I might be offended,” she stated.

“Certainly does make things easy,” the vampire granted. “Now, before we get too off course, I am still thirsty and we really should see what Allanon is planning, for the saving the world thing that we are doing.”

“Oh yes, that thing.” 

Eretria presented her forearm, not wanting to overstimulate herself by offering her neck. Amberle understood the intent, but there was still a twinge of disappointment. The feeding was chaste, but the rover still felt its impact. The vampire only took what she needed and politely thanked Eretria.

Eretria followed behind Amberle as the vampire went in search of Allanon. They entered the altar room where they found him meditating. His eyes opened when they were close. “Ah, Amberle and Eretria.” Wil was also there, attempting to follow his example.

“We were hoping for an update on our time table,” Amberle announced.

Allanon looked unsurprised. “We shall leave at sun up,” he declared.

_You think he has any reason to have decided that tomorrow is the best day?_ Amberle looked back at Eretria, who smirked and shook her head no. It was their first occurrence of silent communication. 

“Dhampir, you did not say you could read thoughts,” he noted.

Eretria and Amberle’s eyes both shot to him. “It was not your business,” Eretria retorted.

“I assume that means you can read thoughts,” Amberle inferred, for everyone. Allanon did not respond. “Is there anyone not in my head?” Wil meekly raised his hand. 

“At least there is one,” Eretria commented wryly and she felt Amberle’s thoughts mirror her words. “And a win is a win, but not the kind of win we need. Why _have_ we been sitting the fuck around?”

Allanon’s mechanical stare seemed to be touched with a hint of exasperation. “There is a complicated process for restoring health to the Everdark and Lifefire trees. It involves imbuing water with the power of generations of witches before taking the water to Safehold, well to the north. There, the water must mix with the bloodfire, before being brought to each tree.”

“And you get the power here, in this temple,” Amberle filled in the blanks.

“Precisely.”

“Why did you not just tell us that?”

“I had more important things to worry about than your curiosity, Dhampir.”

Amberle stood with Eretria. “If we are going to be successful, we need to know what we are signing up for. You should not hold back, especially because you seem to be able to read minds.”

“Hers is empty,” he pointed to Eretria.

Eretria nearly charged him, but Amberle thrust a hand out, stopping her progress. “I truly hope you mean you just cannot read it,” Amberle stated in a controlled tone. 

“That is exactly what I meant,” the witch intoned.

“Then we shall see you at dawn,” Amberle announced, giving Eretria a look before herding her out of the room. Eretria went with only a few grumbled curses. 

“For someone who gets in people’s heads, he sure as shit knows nothing of empathy,” she commented as she stalked down the hall, Amberle chuckling. Their rooms were adjacent, with Eretria having to go just a bit further than Amberle. “Goodnight, Princess.”

“Sleep well, Eretria.” They parted ways, each glad to know that they were finally moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I think that makes seven chapters in ten days! Counting has never been my thing (its not like I have a BA is mathematics or anything). What I do know is that this story is no where close to done and things are just heating up, lolol
> 
> Feedback is appreciated! :D


	8. Happy Everdark Day!

Sleep was elusive. Amberle knew it was because it was night and her body longed to see the night sky. Eventually exhaustion did took its toll and she finally drifted off.

_The sun bore down on her, from above. She glanced up at it, drawn to its radiance. She embraced its warmth. Her father was there, drawing her eyes down, away from the sun._

_“It is such a nice day,” her father commented and she nodded in agreement. “Do you remember what today is?”_

_Amberle could not, but her mouth automatically supplied, “Everdark Day.”_

_Her father beamed and she felt pure joy. “Today we celebrate the comfort and safety that the Everdark provides,” he pronounced. They sat together by a body of water she did not recognize, but that did not seem to matter. The water was clear and light reflected off the ripples that passed over the surface._

_It was such a calm moment, peaceful and serene. Amberle wanted it to last forever. She rested her head on her father’s shoulder and just smiled._

_It was then that she noticed something in the water. She squinted but she could barely make it out. It looked like a marble of pure obsidian._

_It was shifting. She realized it was expanding, bleeding into the water. She sat up, off her father, and looked to him, concern coloring her expression. Her father took note but just continued to smile. “Do not fret, Amberle, we are safe.”_

_When she looked back, the marble was a cloud of inky blackness, steadily polluting the water. She watched in horror as the inkiness overtook the clear water, until there was nothing left of it. And then the ink began to rise, bubbling and spitting. Amberle’s father remained unperturbed, even as Amberle rose and backed away from the tide._

_“Why are you acting so strangely,” he asked. “Everything is fine, you should sit down and enjoy the day.”_

_There was an eeriness to his smile, as he looked back at Amberle. The slime made it to his boots, washing over them, and then with thick tendrils, climbed his body. Amberle pleaded for him to move, but he just continued smiling. “Nothing can get to us, dear, we are protected,” he insisted._

_He looked back towards the water, as if just enjoying the calm day, while the thin tar scaled higher, creeping up his neck. “Father!” Amberle hollered, feeling panic well within her._

_He turned back with a confused expression, but his face had changed. It was thinner, his flesh tight around the bone, and pale. And then there were the eyes, blood red. She recognized the significance; those were the eyes of a Strigoi. “Do not worry, Amberle,” he voiced, but it was not her father’s voice. There was a gravelly, unused quality to the voice. “The Everdark holds me back,” he rose, turning to face her, wearing the inky tar like a robe, “but the tree is dying.” A deadly smile revealed jagged teeth. “When it dies, I shall find you and rip the flesh from your bones,” he announced._

_He glided forward and Amberle tried to step back. Her feet did not move and when she looked down, she saw that she was nearly ankle deep in goo, unable to budge her feet. And then it climbed, coating her with increasing speed, making her skin crawl. She dared not touch it with her hands, holding them out as it reached her waist, ribs, collar, throat. She was weeping freely by the time it reached her chin and she thrust her head back in an attempt to avoid it overtaking her mouth. It caught her hair and scalp, and she was frozen, looking up at the sun, her hands finally pressing down in a frantic effort to release her head and body, but then they too were suck._

_“You may pay for night, but you have never experienced true darkness, Amberle,” the man said as his face appeared in her view, blocking out the sun. She knew the last thing she would ever see was his twisted grin and crimson eyes._

_In her desperation, before the ink filled her mouth, she scream out. “Eretria!”_

_She slammed her lips shut as the goo threated to enter and her nostrils were soon blocked, but she saw the expression on the man’s face falter. “Who is she? I expected you to call out to the Shannara I know Allanon found.”_

_There was no way to respond even if she could get her mind to respond productively. She just wanted to scream, but would have settled for giving her lungs air. Everything burned as her eyes were covered and there was no such thing as light. She felt death coming for her as she lost the will to fight._

“Princess!” The voice cut through the darkness. “I am here - just breathe!” Her lungs surged to life, unexpectedly. Her mouth was free. “Open your eyes!” Her eyes flew open and she sat up, colliding roughly with a sturdy body. She recognized Eretria instantly and her arms wrapped around her, gripping firmly, needing the woman to anchor her in reality. “Hey, it is alright,” the rover soothed. “It is over.”

“He was in my head,” she sobbed, burying her head in Eretria’s neck, letting the other woman coo soft words of comfort.

“I will not let him touch you,” the dhampir assured.

Amberle was not sure how long it took, but eventually her heart settled, and she felt comfortable releasing Eretria, who had not said anything about their likely uncomfortable embrace, on her side. “That was him, the Warlock Lord,” she whispered, not daring to say his title any louder. She shifted into a lying position.

Eretria motioned to the other side of the bed, seeking permission to join her, which Amberle granted. “He is a scary fucker, I will give him that,” Eretria commented, as she settled into the covers, fidgeting with her corner of the pillow. As Amberle relived the dream, both of them cringed, struggling to remember how to breathe. “So, that was your dad?”

Amberle sighed, glad for any diversion Eretria could provide. “Yes,” she affirmed. “He died when I was young.”

“I am sorry to hear it,” Eretria murmured. “You seemed to have loved him.”

“He believed in me more than anyone else,” Amberle reminisced. “He always told me to fight for what I believed in.”

“Sounds like he had the right idea,” Eretria commented. “Cephalo is the closest thing I had to a father and he taught me a similar lesson, but not the way your father did.”

Amberle frowned, hearing the sadness in Eretria’s tone. “I am sorry.”

“Hey, I turned out alright,” the rover quipped, wryly.

“Do not flatter yourself,” Amberle ribbed, but her chuckle gave away her levity. “Thank you, Eretria.”

Eretria smiled softly, across the pillow, for once not making light. “Of course, Princess.” She snuck a hand up from below the covers and moved a bit of hair out of Amberle’s eyes. “Do you think you can sleep anymore, tonight?” Amberle was reluctant to try. “I can stay, if that would help. I will make sure nothing happens to you.”

Amberle nodded. “I would be grateful.” She rolled over and Eretria carefully scooched forward until they were flush. Eretria put an arm around her, protectively. The presence against her back helped lull her into a comfortable sleep.

 

 

When Eretria woke, she was on her back in an unfamiliar room, with the weight of Amberle’s head on her chest and the vampire’s leg over and between her own. She had slept extremely well, the warmth of Amberle’s body providing the catalyst for the first real sleep she had had in nearly two weeks.

She breathed in deeply, smiling lightly at the scent of the woman in her arms. She did not want the moment to end, but she also did not want to get too hopeful about it being a regular thing.

“Amberle,” she hummed, coaxing the other woman from her slumber. “We need to be getting up,” she announced, receiving a slurred, inarticulate grumble in response. “I see someone got some good sleep,” she chuckled, jostling the vampire’s head in the process. “You best not be drooling on me,” she declared.

“I do not drool,” Amberle retorted, huffily.

“Not even over me,” Eretria inquired.

“You have no sense of modesty, do you?”

Eretria laughed. “Never saw a need for it.” She could feel the blur of sleep clearing from Amberle’s mind. And then the vampire noticed their positions. Eretria felt the rush of embarrassment. “Never woken up in bed with a woman?”

“You are insufferable.” Amberle sat up, untangling their legs in the process.

“Anything to help,” Eretria asserted, with a smirk. She rolled out of Amberle’s bed and crossed the room to the door. “I will meet you in the altar room. Are you alright?”

“I will be fine,” Amberle assured. With a nod, Eretria left, heading to her room to change and pack.

Once ready, she headed to the altar room, expecting Allanon to be meditating, but the witch was absent. After waiting for a few minutes, she decided to search for the man, curious about why he was late. She checked the witch’s quarters first, to no avail. Next she wondered to Wil’s room, thinking she would just ask him if he had seen Allanon.

The sight she walked in on was not what she had expected. Wil was in the bed while Allanon stood over him, his hands glowing as he chanted.

“What the fuck,” Eretria intoned.

“Eretria, he is being infiltrated,” Allanon spoke in a rushed manner. “He stopped breathing and I have been forcing air into lungs for hours. It is the Warlock Lord. I cannot break his hold on Wil’s mind.”

“Shit, he got into Amberle’s head, too,” Eretria conveyed hastily. She dashed forward and wondered how she might get through to Wil like she had Amberle. She placed a hand on his chest and gave a sharp push. “Breathe, Wil,” she shouted and his back arched and his lungs sucked in air, greedily.

“You did it,” Allanon stated and then she saw him sag, showing his exhaustion for the first time.

Wil collapsed and panted, his eyes open but distant. “What did he make you see,” she asked.

“I rather not share,” the human coughed. Eretria let it be.

“Come on, old man,” Eretria offered a hand down to Allanon, who did not comment on her address, but accepted the help up. “You need to explain a few things to me, but we are going to do it elsewhere and let Wil get himself together.”

They left and Eretria led the way to the altar room, where Allanon collapsed on his knees where he would meditate. “So, what happened tonight?”

“The Warlock Lord has more power than I anticipated. It seems he recovers fast.”

Amberle joined them then. “Did he get in Wil’s dream?”

Allanon was silent and Eretria realized he was seeing Amberle replay the dream. “Yes, and he projected himself into it. What you both saw, that is him.”

“What about the sticky inky stuff,” Eretria asked.

“Strigoi carry over their magic from life. As a vampire, his element was water, and the sludge is his warped Strigoi version of that magic.”

“And as a witch, he is a dream manipulator,” Amberle supplied.

“More like a mind manipulator, but yes,” Allanon confirmed.

Eretria crossed her arms over her chest. “I hate to say it, but I do not think we are qualified to take him on,” she pronounced.

“That is why we will not,” Allanon declared. “We will avoid him and heal the trees. At full health, they will weaken him and then we will have the opportunity to fight on equal footing.”

“Superb,” Eretria said, wryly. “Do we have a Plan B?” Allanon was silent. “I will take that as a no.”

“The trees were created to regulate a balance in the world. They were designed to be able to handle anything, with one way to restore them in the case that something went wrong. There should have been no reason for us to have to ever restore them.”

“Well, we are losing daylight. We should get a move on,” Eretria directed and for once Allanon agreed. Amberle went to check on Wil while Allanon gathered his things and Eretria prepped the horses. Their journey was just beginning and morale was already low. “What a solid start,” Eretria sighed to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :D


	9. The Ghosts that Haunt Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Threats of sexual violence. No follow through.
> 
> After much delay, here is a new chapter!

Amberle sighed as she looked over her shoulder, as she had done over and over for days. They were all aware that they were being tracked. The Warlock Lord had sicced all the nearby Strigoi on them and that alone was a terrifying thought. They had kept a strict schedule, always riding out before the light and riding hard throughout the day, until well after the sun fell. 

The relief from the sun was never enough to overcome the exhaustion and the fear she now associated with the night. The Strigoi moved freely in the cover of darkness and she had no way to know just how fast they travelled. Could they be right there, just waiting for her not to check?

Eretria had spent the first days trying to soothe her, knowing her fears, knowing every time those fears urged her to look over her shoulder. The dhampir always put on a brave face, but Amberle could see the weariness. She was learning the woman’s nature, albeit slower than the woman learned hers. Eretria would then recognize when her efforts were seen through and would switch to a new tack. 

“I shall keep watch at night, Princess,” she would take on the burden and that would just make Amberle feel like she was putting too much on the other woman. “I feel better when you feel better,” Eretria explained once. It was a terrible cycle of fear and guilt, and Eretria took to not commenting, and Amberle would have done the same.

“We need to camp,” Wil called out, hours after the sun had fallen on the fifth night.

Amberle was about to fall off her horse, so, and while her fear urged her to keep riding, she knew she could not continue. Allanon conceded. He urged his horse to slow and the rest followed suit. They all immediately set to their roles. Amberle watered, fed, and unsaddled the horses. Wil started a fire and food. Eretria set up camp, with rough shelters. Allanon meditated and set up a magical barrier. 

Then shifts would start. Wil would always take the first, while Allanon finished the barrier. Then Allanon and Wil would catch a bit of sleep, while Eretria took the second shift. Allanon would rise again for the third and Amberle would get the final shift. 

After the first night, Eretria always stayed with Amberle at night. It kept the Warlock Lord out of her head and the dhampir’s presence helped Amberle to sleep. Amberle was beyond grateful. She spent much of her shifts thinking about the other woman. Everything about their relationship seemed unfair. Amberle had gotten accustomed to the idea of the rover being in her head, especially as she considered the encumbrance Eretria dealt with. 

However, she also knew that she focused on the woman in an attempt to avoid her fears. Looking out into the darkness, she felt the world crushing in on her. Her vision would swim when anxiety rose and all her efforts would be exhausted trying to calm herself.

“Amberle!” She perked. A quick scan of the area told her that no one was awake. Eretria was asleep beside her, while Wil and Allanon’s feet poked out of their own tents, unmoving. “Where are you, Amberle?” She wondered if she was imagining the voice, but it sounded so very familiar. “Help me, Amberle!”

“Lorin?” As she spoke his name, she knew it was him. She scrambled to her feet. She could not see passed the edge of camp. She squinted in the darkness, trying to pinpoint where she had heard his voice.

“Please, Amberle, I need you.” She ran toward the voice.

“Lorin,” she called out.

“Over here,” he called back.

“No!” Amberle blinked, registering Eretria behind her. She just had enough thought to slow herself, but it was not enough. She realized she had just stepped outside of the border. 

Red eyes glowed in the dark and she heard sick laughter. Suddenly Lorin was before her, his face thin and his grin toothy and jagged. His eyes had that bloody glow to them. Eretria burst forward, her fist soaring passed Amberle’s ear, aimed at his face, but he avoided and pushed her away. Two other Strigoi appeared, driving Eretria away from Amberle. The dhampir was on total defense, letting the two direct her, increasing the distance. Amberle was on her own. 

Amberle glanced back, checking the distance to the barrier. “Now now, darling,” she heard the sickening whisper in her ear as Lorin appeared behind her, “we cannot have you going back into the safety of the witch’s field.” One arm wrapped around her midsection, holding her close. The fingers of his other hand trailed lightly over her throat. “You are mine,” he chuckled. 

“Lorin,” she breathed. “I watched you die.”

“Oh no, you watched me ascend. I am a greater being now,” the Strigoi corrected. A war brewed within her. He was her childhood friend. He and Catania were the people she had trusted most in the capital, aside from her family. Then she felt his tongue on her neck, drawing a line up to her ear. She felt her stomach heave. Her hand moved automatically, grabbing the knife on her thigh and he drove it into his thigh, just above the knee. 

He howled and pushed her away. “You bitch,” he snarled. She whipped around, taking steps back as he advanced. He yanked the knife from his leg, dropping it to the ground. Black flames erupted from his hand and he lobbed a burst of flame at the tree next to side of Amberle. She watched in horror as the flame swiftly ate through the thick trunk and the tree collapsed. “I am going to fuck you and then burn you from the inside out,” Lorin declared. 

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, as she repeated, “not Lorin, not Lorin,” as a mantra reminder.

He dashed forward and his fireless hand shot at her. She used her weak hand to redirect him slightly, like Eretria had taught her, but her head was still rocked by the contact and she heard a crunch in her cheek, pain flaring. She could hardly, see, her vision going black on one side, but he was still surprised and she used the moment to slam the new knife she had pulled into the side of his throat. 

With all her strength and a bit of a sawing motion, she pulled the knife toward her body, ripping his throat open, blood bursting outward at her. They fell together and Amberle barely had the mind to twist their weight so that she landed on top. She was panting and he gurgled, but then he grinned as she saw his throat starting to close up. She knew she did not have the ability to saw through his bone with her knife and quickly stood. She drew her father’s sword as he slowly rose, blood coating his front. He stumbled and she swung mightily, he had put up his hand to stop the blade, so it had not gone cleanly through. She wept as she jerked the blade out and tried again, hacking until the head finally rolled.

She collapsed to her knees as his body fell. She felt the meal Wil made coming up and barely turned enough to not get any on him. She sobbed, her hands shaking, unable to continue holding the sword. “Lorin,” she wailed his name on repeat.

It was not until Eretria pulled her into a loose hug that she realized Allanon and Wil had joined the fray, the three of them taking care of the other two Strigoi. “Come on, Princess,” she urged. “Can you walk?” Amberle shook her head, feeling the weakness of her legs. Eretria directed Amberle’s arms around her shoulders, telling her to hold on tight. Amberle squeezed, with all her might. Eretria made no comment, just maneuvered her arm under Amberle’s knees and the other around her back, and then smoothly rose. She walked back to camp.

Their schedule changed. Eretria would sleep while they rode and take the entire night shift. She would ride behind Amberle, on the horse that Allanon had ridden, the largest horse. Amberle would support her weight for hours. And when she would finally wake, after many hours of fitful sleep, looking more tired than the day before. 

The dhampir did not press for Amberle to talk, even days later. Amberle knew that in part, it was because the rover knew everything, but in part it was because she respected Amberle’s need to come to terms with what had transpired. Amberle’s nightmares changed, revolving around Lorin. The red eyes and the wicked grin. The feel of her blade ripping through his flesh. Sometimes she did not kill him and instead he got her, searing her flesh away or forcing himself on her. Other times, she was the Strigoi, tearing his throat out, drinking deep while the light left his caramel eyes.

She always woke to Eretria petting her head, mechanically, her face blank, her eyes dull. She knew the woman was keeping distant for the sake of her privacy and to never push for her own desires. It saddened Amberle, the way Eretria was prepared to do or be anything for her, and she did not feel she could return the kindness. 

“Do not worry, Princess, I am content,” Eretria would say. And Amberle would internally flinch at the wording. 

Eretria’s wit was slowly retreating as the days passed, Amberle recognized. She hardly argued with Allanon. She never called Wil by various nicknames. She never flirted with Amberle. She always offered her arm, for drinking, never her neck.

She was becoming more machinelike, a tool for Amberle, rather than a living creature. It pained Amberle to realize, that she was sucking the life out of Eretria. 

And she also realized that the part that made Eretria who she was, that snappy wryness and wit, that was what Amberle wanted. That was what she needed. Craved. 

Loved. 

“Eretria,” she breathed, sitting up sharply. The rover stared vacantly at her. “Can you hear me?”

“Of course, Princess,” was the distant response.

“Are you trying to stay out of my head?” There was a small flicker of recognition and then a shaky nod. “Oh Everdark, you are driving yourself deeper into your own head,” Amberle gasped. She shifted, kneeling next to the other woman. She put her hand on the dhampir’s cheek and saw a spark of life enter her expression. “Eretria,” she whispered. “I need you.”

“You are just seeing that now?” There was a light smile.

“Fuck you,” Amberle hissed, but there was no anger.

“Language, Princess,” Eretria commented, and she seemed like she was about to say something else, but Amberle did not let her. She caught the rover’s lips with her own. She lingered for a moment, wondering if she had made a mistake, but when she pulled away, Eretria’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her back in. Eretria initiated the next kiss and Amberle relaxed into her arms. The dhampir parted her lips and Amberle accepted her readily. The way her tongue played around her mouth stole Amberle’s breath. 

Amberle could hardly focus. Her lungs burned when Eretria broke away, but the dhampir was not done, her lips trailing across her cheek and jaw, finding their way to her ear. “Would you like me to stop?” The question set a shiver through her. She fervently shook her head. “Good,” Eretria whispered, her teeth catching Amberle’s earlobe, making her gasp.

The lips kissed a trail down her throat. Her breathing became more erratic with each jolt of pleasure that ran through her. “Eretria,” she moaned and then was struck with a realization as those lips met her collarbone and she had to bit her lip to keep from making noise. “Eretria, wait.”

The response was instantaneous, the rover separating from her, searching her eyes. “Ah,” came the response, with a sly grin. “You are afraid you will wake the others without proper walls and doors.”

“You are truly insufferable,” she groaned, but smiled. “Please do not change,” she whispered.

“I am sorry, Princess,” Eretria intoned. “I thought creating distance would help, for both of us.”

“I understand,” Amberle acknowledged.

“I promise, when we find a good place, I will get you to scream my name,” Eretria swore.

Amberle’s breath hitched and she flushed madly. She looked away, huffing. “I will hold you to that,” she retorted. 

“I do not doubt it,” Eretria commented. 

“Alright,” Amberle shooed her, “time to get up.”

“I have been up for hours,” Eretria reminded.

“Oh, shut up,” Amberle commanded, but she smiled, fondly, her heart feeling a little lighter.


	10. Things Behind Doors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am upping the rating for this story, cause I am really toeing that line between Mature and Explicit, and I am gonna play it safe. 
> 
> My apologies for the wait. I had a bit of a hard time writing this chapter, mainly because I was unsatisfied with the last chapter. I think, if I have a chance after completing this story, I will go back and rework chapter 9. Anywho, hope you enjoy :D

Eretria woke many times during her designated sleep time. It was part of sleeping while riding, guaranteed. Generally, she would just tuck her chin into the crux of Amberle’s neck tighter and rest her head against the vampire’s, to keep head from bouncing around so much. She would make another attempt at sleep and her exhaustion would make it possible. Sometimes it took swapping shoulders, but she would eventually fall into something vaguely resembling sleep.

On the fourth day of sleeping on horseback, she woke just before she was meant to swap horses. Her mind immediately tuned into Amberle’s thoughts, but there was no real contemplation happening. Eretria recalled the first day they had ridden together. Amberle had been more uncomfortable, but things had settled. She had become accustomed to the proximity and for that, Eretria sent a word of thanks to the tree she did not believe looked out for anyone. 

She gave thanks because being close to Amberle was like feeling the warmth of a fire in the dead of winter or seeing sun after a long night. The vampire was relief. Relief from her existence, what she was and who she was. Dhampir and rover. Loner and criminal. Lost and unwanted. Amberle was liberation from all of that. Eretria was so worried that she would be forcing her feelings on Amberle and as a result, had descended into her own mind, unconsciously avoiding contact – mental or physical.

Amberle had noticed first. Eretria had already lost herself. The vampire brought her back. There was no stopping the intense emotion from surging through her. They had the realization together and it cleared the fog of Eretria’s mind. Amberle loved her. It was not yet clear that it was an ‘in love’ kind of love, but it was more than Eretria had ever had. 

It would have been impossible to deny that she wanted Amberle. She wanted there to be more between them and when Amberle indicated that she did too, Eretria’s body buzzed with energy.

Waking to the feel of Amberle against her was enough to make Eretria feel like she had actually slept properly. With a soft smirk, she nuzzled her face into the crook of Amberle’s neck, getting no reaction. She parted her and promptly bit down, just hard enough to get Amberle’s attention. She had found a naked patch of neck and Amberle squeaked in surprise, her hand jumping to her mouth too late to cover the sound.

“Eretria,” she whined. “Warn me before you get… mouthy.”

“I am always mouthy,” Eretria chuckled into her neck, kissing the spot she had bit.

“No argument here,” Amberle granted. “The others might catch on if you do not cease,” she insisted.

Eretria hummed. “I have no doubt,” she affirmed, receiving an elbow to the side. “If you have concerns, just have the horse fall back a bit,” the rover suggested. 

After some unconscious internal debate, for which Eretria was a respectful observer, Amberle pulled on the reins, telling the horse to slow, but not enough to be obvious. When they were a safe distance, Amberle declared, “you may proceed.”

Eretria exhaled a laugh. “Ain’t you just fucking regal in your invitations, Princess.”

“Use your mouth for something better, would you?”

Eretria grinned at that, biting her lip before saying, “as you wish.” She could sense Amberle’s hesitancies, mainly revolving around what was ‘proper’ and not wanting to let herself put herself before the mission and the world. To be distracted was dangerous and went against Amberle’s personal code, but they both got the sense that it was a code not self-written. Eretria had danced the dance of expectation. She knew how it worked. Spend enough time following and you end up always swaying to someone else’s tune. 

Eretria wanted to show her that it was alright to write one’s own song, to choreograph one’s own steps, but it was also alright to have a partner. “Just make sure to keep the horse on track and I will take care of the rest,” she proclaimed.

_I wonder if I can,_ she heard the thought cross Amberle’s mind and hummed her approval.

“Good luck,” she cooed. She started with a light kiss, where shoulder met neck. Then teeth, but not biting, just a touch that elicited the anticipation of more. They lingered, their presence not to be ignored. Eretria felt the way Amberle held her breath, waiting, wanting. Sudden pressure drew out an excited whimper. 

When Eretria released the vampire, she noted the light marks, clearly recognizable as being left by teeth. She blew a controlled stream of air over them and felt Amberle shiver, the contrast between the bite was so distinct. 

She kissed a path up to Amberle’s ear, hovering there, again building expectancy. Her stomach fluttered at the vampire’s intake of breath when she carefully traced lobe to tip with her tongue. It was getting harder to plan out her actions; she was experiencing every reaction Amberle was having to her own ministrations and that made it hard to focus. Not only was she getting a rush from provoking responses, but she was reacting, as well. 

“I am good with my hands, Princess,” she whispered against the vampire’s ear, “would you like me to show you?” Amberle nodded and Eretria caught the conscious effort not to seem too eager. 

The dhampir placed her palms flat against the vampire’s front, cursing the fabric that separated her fingers from the soft skin she could only imagine. Her hands trailed slowly upward. She paused just below the swell of Amberle’s chest and the vampire shifted impatiently. “Where would you like me to touch?”

Many images passed through Amberle’s head and they both felt the clench within themselves and the rush of warmth. “You are going to make me say it?”

Eretria chuckled darkly. “I have to get something out of this arrangement,” she quipped. 

“Two can play your game,” Amberle warned, but Eretria was not prepared for the flurry of images of Amberle kissing her and touching her, them both writhing and panting. Eretria gave a shuddering moan that tickled Amberle’s ear.

“Touché, Princess,” she husked.

“Now, stop stalling or I will start to think you are all talk,” Amberle demanded.

Eretria grinned and nipped at the flesh below Amberle’s ear, her hands finishing their ascent, cresting over the vampire’s breasts, cupping them firmly. She noted the erectness of Amberle’s nipples, even through the fabric, and decidedly teased them. The vampire purred in approval, the hand not guiding the reins flew up to bury itself in Eretria’s hair, directing her head, and thus mouth, lower on the vampire’s neck. The grip on her hair tightened reflexively when she found the right spot and even though it was unnecessary, it provided great encouragement. 

Eretria’s hands itched to touch skin. One climbed higher, fingers splaying under Amberle’s chin before she drew them back down, nailed dragging along the slender throat, leaving reddening lines. Amberle inhaled with a hiss, then bit her lower lip. Eretria’s fingers ran into cloth at the vampire’s collarbone and she sighed. “What I would do for a bed and a closed door,” she grumbled. After a moment, “fuck it, I would take just a door.” Amberle exhaled a laugh, her breathing labored. “I would do some many things for you,” the rover professed, her breath equally lacking.

“What would we use, if not a bed?”

“Floor, desk, couch, wall, I do not fucking care,” Eretria murmured. “Oh, that elegant vampire throne of yours! I could totally be down to sit on that throne with you between my legs,” Eretria voiced the thoughts running through her own mind. 

“You would imagine that,” Amberle shot, but Eretria felt the internal twist of pleasure. The pause in physicality was enough for their minds to clear slightly. “I can hardly focus,” Amberle admitted, and Eretria noted that their horse had slowed significantly.

“Shall we continue when we find a closed door?”

Amberle nodded. “I prefer we at least have a bed available, even if that is just where we end up after,” she commented.

“Duly noted,” the dhampir chuckled. Her arms moved around Amberle, just embracing her. After one last kiss to the vampire’s neck, she said, “we should catch up.”

“Sadly,” Amberle agreed. Eretria grinned at the phrasing, her heart fluttering.

They caught up and motioned to swap horses. There was always a break, where the horses rested and the bipedal creatures stretched and ate. Eretria noted the way Wil was flushed and awkward in his attempts to surreptitiously glance between Amberle and her. While he was saddling the horses, she stalked up to him. “You enjoy the view, Stoner?”

He immediately put his hands up in a display of innocence. “I did not see anything,” he insisted.

“Yeah?” There was a dark tone to Eretria’s words. “Keep it that way,” she warned. 

“I get it, she is yours,” he hastened to say.

Anger flared within Eretria. “Do not dare insinuate that she is property or that I would ever deign to think of another as mine.”

Wil became flustered, trying to back pedal. “That is not what I meant,” he assured. “I just meant that she wants you and that is all. You win.”

“I am not your competition and she is no prize,” Eretria growled.

Wil sighed heavily. “Yes, right, I am sorry to have stepped over any lines.” She exhaled and he eyed her thoughtfully. “You do seem a little possessive.”

“Protective,” she corrected.

Wil shook his head. “They go a bit hand-in-hand.”

Eretria left him to his work, done with talking, but troubled by what he had suggested. She did not agree, in the slightest, but that did not stop worry from creeping in. And when they were mounted once more, she was on a separate horse from Amberle and that meant they could not talk. 

They rode hard, Eretria out front, her dhampir eyes looking out for trouble ahead. Before darkness fell, they rode through a town. They generally avoided populated areas, not wanting word of their travels to reach the Warlock Lord, even though they knew that he was aware of their destination. On occasion, they would briefly pass through a town, but only if there was a need to keep to the road, and they would never dismount. 

On their way into town, everyone was keenly aware of the fact that they saw no one. It was not until they were inside the main gate that they ran into the first person, or rather, body. The streets were bloodied and it soon became clear that the entire town had been massacred. Bodies littered the ground, strewn everywhere.

They rode through slowly, on high alert. The horses were unnerved and Eretria did not blame them.

“This was a Strigoi attack,” Allanon noted.

Towards the edge of town, heading out, Eretria saw a body that was different from the rest. It was different enough that she jumped from her horse and knelt by it. She peeled back one of its eyelids, revealing clouded blood red eyes. “This was a Strigoi,” she announced. Its throat was ripped out, in a way only another Strigoi would do, but she had never heard of a Strigoi feeding on another Strigoi. 

A quick scan of the area turned up numerous other possible Strigoi bodies and that was almost more concerning than the massacre. “We thinking shifters,” Wil offered the theory. 

Eretria shook her head, more to herself. It seemed like the most likely option, but it did not feel right. The Strigoi bodies were all congregated around a particular home. Other than the strangely high number of Strigoi bodies around the small house, the only thing that stood out about it was the pristine lack of blood. She stood and stared at the house. 

“Anyone care to explore that house? I would be anything the source of the rash of Strigoi death is in there.” She shrugged. “Night is almost upon us. We are either setting up in the town of death or we are moving on and living with curiosity.” In the end, curiosity got the better of them all. “So, who is dying to be the first to go in?” No one stepped up. “Right, guess it is on the one who has already died once for this mission,” she remarked. She sighed and shook out her hands while walking up to the front door. “If I die again, I am haunting all of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! :D


End file.
